St. Cloud State
7-3,3-0NSIC
Bemidji State
0-11,0-3NSIC
Volleyball rolls to 3-1 win over Bemidji State
9/21/2021 8:01:00 PM | Volleyball
#20 Huskies hit .371 as a team through four sets
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The No. 20 St. Cloud State University volleyball team is not fooling around. After struggling in their trip out west, the Huskies hit their stride in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play over the weekend and saw their success continue Tuesday evening. Thanks to its dominant offense, St. Cloud State improved to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in NSIC play with a resounding 3-1 road win over Bemidji State.
BEAVER DOWN
The Huskies dominated in the first two sets of the match, as they cruised to an early 2-0 lead thanks to 25-9 and 25-13 wins. Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) was basically perfect in the opening set, as she tallied four kills on five swings with no errors to set the tone for St. Cloud State. Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens), Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) and Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) continued their dominance as well, as all three hit well above .300 in the first and second sets.
The Beavers stole the third set 25-23, as they forced St. Cloud State to make several uncharacteristic hitting errors en route to victory. Bemidji State's tough serves also forced the Huskies out of system and propelled the home team to a late 21-20 lead in the set. A block by Rachel and Allison Naughton (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic) quickly righted the ship, as St. Cloud State won four straight points to take a 24-21 lead before taking the set 25-22 on a kill by Erne.
TOP HUSKIES
- Sophomore outside Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa / Sergeant Bluff-Luton) once again led the Huskies in kills, tallying 13 in the four set victory. Bella Erne (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) was the best hitter for St. Cloud State statistically, as she tallied a season-high 10 kills on 12 hits with zero errors for a career-high .833 hitting percentage.
- Phebie Rossi (Rapid City, S.D. / Stevens) continued to dominate for the Huskies, as she wracked up 11 kills on 18 attempts for a season-high .611 hitting percentage. Allison Naughton (Des Moines, Iowa / Dowling Catholic) was the top blocker for St. Cloud State, tallying five total blocks, three solo and two assists, in the match.
- Maddy Torve (Loretto, Minn. / Heritage Christian Academy) concluded the match with 45 assists, bringing her season assists total to 442. Abigail Groeneweg (Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake) led with 15 digs, while Linsey Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake) and Rachel Houle (Stillwater, Minn. / Stillwater) tallied 12 and 11 digs respectively.
HIGH POWERED OFFENSE
St. Cloud State's high powered offense continued its dominance in NSIC play, as the team hit .371 on Tuesday night with 53 kills in 105 total attacks. The defense also held Bemidji State to a .137 hitting percentage, including a sub .100 percentage in set one.
ACE, ACE! THE HELPFUL PLACE!
The Huskies tallied 10 serve aces against the Beavers, including four in both the first and third sets. Groeneweg led the way with a season-high four aces in the match to go with her team-leading 15 digs, while Houle, Kobie Dills (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Washington) accounted for a combined five of the team's 10 total aces.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State is due for another big weekend in NSIC play, as the team is set to take on #5 Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls on the road this weekend. The Huskies will face the Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. CT in Marshall, Minnesota on Friday and the Cougars at 2:00 p.m. CT in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
